Giyani water investigation almost complete

The Public Protector’s office is predicting it will complete an investigation into the Giyani Bulk Water project in the early months of 2019.

The project, whose costs have risen from R500 million to more than R3 billion, was launched by former President Jacob Zuma in 2014 with the goal of addressing water shortages at 55 villages in Giyani.

At some point, the project described as a “cesspool of corruption” by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, was considered an abandoned project after the contractor Khato Civils that was not paid, halted the project.

The Public Protector spokesperson Oupa Segalwe says this is a very complex investigation but it is almost complete.

Segalwe says the contractor has been paid some of the due money is now back at work.

He says they are almost done with another project involving alleged tender irregularities in the awarding of a sewage plant tender to the Lepelle Northern Water for a project in Giyani.